There are many systems available for mounting photovoltaic (PV) modules to building structures, such as a roof. These systems serve as a rigid interconnetion element between a roof and a PV module to hold the modules in place and resist the forces of gravity and wind.
Traditional mounting systems consist of rows of rail structures attached to the roof in columns or rows. Module clamps are then used to attach the PV modules to these rail structures. Although effective, these traditional systems require complex and time-consuming installations and utilized relatively large amount of materials. Eventually, pioneers in the solar industry, such as Jack West of San Rafael-based Zep Solar, realized that module frames themselves are sufficiently rigid to function as the rails of a PV mounting system. By utilizing the inherent rigidity of modules frames as part of the PV mounting system, system part counts and costs of PV mounting systems were significantly reduced while installation time and overall aesthetics were improved. This realization caused many in the residential solar industry to move away from rail-based solutions. As a result, the hard costs of solar have steadily declined while the speed with which an array can be installed has steadily increased. However, in order to continue the momentum of solar against other fossil fuel-based energy sources, it is imperative that both hard and soft PV costs continue to be reduced.
With current rail-free systems, installation is accomplished by first installing a flashing, and then lagging a puck to the flashing to provide a stable base on which to install the remaining mounting hardware. Next, a leveling foot or other structure that also supports a two-sided PV module coupling device is bolted to the puck. Typically, the PV module coupling device is first attached to the frame of the down roof PV module and then dropped onto the puck to be bolted down. Then, the PV module in the next row is pivoted into the other side of the PV module coupling device.
Although this process is very fast compared to traditional rail-base systems, it is still dependent on power tools, such as an impact driver, both for lagging the puck into the roof and for bolting the leveling foot down to the puck. Therefore, installation speed is dependent on the number of available impact drivers as well as their battery life, and a bottle neck is created around use of that tool. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a PV module mounting system that helps mitigate such installation issues.